


Embrace the Night

by ImaginaryEngineer2 (TyrantorX)



Category: League of Legends
Genre: F/F, Modern AU, University AU, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-07-11
Packaged: 2018-10-26 05:30:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10780548
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TyrantorX/pseuds/ImaginaryEngineer2
Summary: University was never easy, especially if you're gunning for excellence. But Diana's starting to crumble under pressure, and an unfortunate mishap pushes her off her momentum. Now, she's staggering to get her grades, her dignity, and herself, back on track. mAU. University/Coffeeshop-verse.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Characters not mine. Usual disclaimer applies.

Last time Diana checked, today was not her day.

The fact that she's sitting uncomfortably at the café a few blocks from her university during her midterm exam is just the tip of the iceberg that's guaranteed to sink her whole school year.

For one, she woke up late on the day of her exams—her blasted alarm clock didn't go off on the one day she needed it the most—buried in God knows how many photocopied hand outs with text repeatedly underlined and circled, open reference books with different shades of highlights plastered with sticky notes.

It took her 5 minutes to shower and get dressed— _this usually took her an hour_ —but by the time she was halfway towards the class, she realized that she left her case report—one she's also supposed to submit right after the test she would be taking in a few minutes. She worked on that piece in exchange for hours of sleep for a whole entire month. It only made sense to go back, also add to that, she wouldn't be able to pass the class without it—Diana's sure that she could sprint her way to the dorms and still make it in nick of time.

But she didn't. She arrived at 9:04 A.M—missing the mark by a measly 4 minutes.

 _Good_ , she thought. 4 minutes is excusable—this is the first time she's been late during this semester. That's definitely forgivable. And the professor knows her. She's diligent, she's smart, she participates during class and she never misses a deadline. _A model student_ —just like her parents were and exactly how her parents taught her to be.

She'll be fine. She'll be okay. Yes, she definitely would be.

Arriving 4 minutes past the clock and the door was shut. That's never happened during any of her past exams, Dr. Soraka would leave the door slightly ajar the first 30 minutes. _Unusual_ , she thought. Too unusual.

Well, she had to knock but she couldn't. It felt too awkward. Dr. Soraka would understand right? She could always just sneak in quietly as possible and tiptoe her way towards an open seat just like her classmates did. A seat somewhere far away from where her professor was seated.

But the proctor was not her professor—who, on all days, had to respond to an emergency call across the country on the last minute, leaving before university classes even started. No one got the memo on Dr. Soraka's sudden departure, something about a family emergency? That was all she remembered about that.

She felt sick and her mind started black out. Although she opened the door as quiet as she possibly could, the door creaked causing 3 classes worth of students to turn in sync. She felt their eyes burning a deep hole onto her forehead—but this wasn't what made her utterly miserable.

Towering over her was a man probably twice her size and thrice her age. Golden eyes pierced into her own and she felt a chill run through her spine. Not a word or even a sound left her lips but she could feel her throat running dry.

**Dr. Aurelion Sol M.D.**

That was his name tag and in as little as 2 minutes, Diana was not allowed to enter the class room. There was no mistaking the words, "Tardiness means a zero on the exam," meant that she's on a one way ticket to a retake on her course.

The blood drained from her face as the door slammed shut leaving her dumbstruck at the hallway. She thought that this was some cruel joke that the professor was playing on her. Maybe this was somewhat of a lesson or like a soft warning to the class. He wouldn't leave her out here, right?

But she stood there a good ten minutes with her ear planted eagerly on the door. The room was void of sound, no footsteps, no voice, nothing.

And at that very moment, she wanted to die of embarassment. Of anxiety. Of an aneurysm or anything to save her from this.

Denied entry. Zero on her finals. Oh, and that paper she was about to turn in? That wouldn't matter either because Dr. Sol will be collecting them after the exam and specifically mentioned that those who failed to take the exam, _regardless of reason,_ will not be accepted.

Her steps heavy, tears welled up in her eyes as she slowly made her way towards nowhere in particular, her head still light from the events that transpired earlier through the day. A failed test, an unsubmitted report, an to top that off, leaving in a hurry meant that she's going to open her doors to nothing but a messy pile of papers and a hamper filled with dirty clothes— all which needed a good bout of cleaning.

Yes, this day couldn't get any worse, she thought.

And on cue, right in the middle of her slow, deliberate walk towards nowhere in particular, far from any shade, the sun dissapeared behind dark, looming clouds and a thunder roared in the distance.

"Fuck!" She screamed as she shielded herself from the heavy down pour. What a damn cliché to top such an exhausting day.

So now, she's stuck in her usual corner of the University's café, soaking wet and shivering from the cold. Her notebooks, folders and a bunch of her papers were drenched in rainwater— _curse this forsaken day_. It even seeped into her notes and her files, most of the ink already running from the water. She sat down on the nearest open available table, then taking apart everything in the folder and laying them on top of the table, hoping that the water still left some of the pages in her binder untouched.

In her panic, she didn't notice the barista walking towards her with a concerned expression painted on her face.

"Hey Diana!" She looked up to see surprised amber eyes. "What are you doing here? Isn't it a little too early to be hanging around here?"

Great. Exactly what she needed— _company_. The universe didn't want to leave her alone.

"Not taking my midterms." She still managed to sound deadpan through the chattering of her teeth, her focus was split between freezing and confusion. "Can I get a regular brewed café?" Pause. One's definitely not going to help. "No, change it. I need a Double shot. A double shot cappucino."

"Erm, okay…" She's aware about Diana's caffiene addiction—well, all the barista's knew about it. Diana was here at least twice a day, four times a week. "I think the remedy you're looking for is in the bar two blocks down…"

"Nobody asked for your opinion—I don't want alcohol. I don't drink." A long pause, Leona still trying to come up with a good retort, only to be interrupted by the grumpiest version of Diana she's ever come across. "Are you just going to stand there? I need my order."

She still didn't move, and Diana's getting impatient. "NOW."

Leona giggled. "Okay. But it'll cost more with the attitude."

 _Did she just…?_ Diana wanted to rip her to shreds right then and there. That snarky barista's always there when she needed her the least. She gritted her teeth and the response and tried her best to calm down.

How couldn't she be like the rest of the other baristas? They stood there, took her order and gave her the usual cup of coffee. Minimal interaction, faster process.

Leona, however, got on her nerves. She's always trying to spark up a conversation. Always smiling and lighting up the room with that incandescent attitude of hers. Too helpful. Too kind.

And Diana felt that she was being too intrusive.

They weren't friends. There wasn't even enough banter between them to be acquaintances. Diana learned Leona's name through her name tag, and Leona learned hers through her constant presence at the cafe. There was never any formal introduction between the both of them.

At this point in time, they merely coexisted.

But still, Leona always tried to make Diana a little more comfortable in her own little way—drawing smiley's on name-labeled to-go cups, a never ending streak of courteousness despite Diana's apathy towards it, one-on-one service, like what she's doing now.

Diana never liked all this ... _uninvited_   _friendliness_ , and even more so now. Leona was dancing in front of an ill-tempered lion, and she was ignorant enough to stand in front of it—smiling.

"I'm going to be polite. I didn't have a good morning. And you rubbing this incessant ray of sunshine on my already down trodden day does nothing to help me in anyway. I need my caffiene as I try to sort out what's going to happen for the rest of the semester. So please, get me my order."

Any other person would've given her a sour come back, or a sarcastic remark, or probably hover on the idea to spit on her order.

Leona didn't.

Instead, she tipped her hat, accompanied by a soft smile, and said, "Sure thing. One double-shot cappuccino."

_Ugh._

She checked her watch. It's been at least 2 or 3 hours since she's been sent off, the exams probably done by now, which meant that Nami's should be looking for her—

Weird that she hasn't called. Maybe she's exhausted from the exam and decided to go straight to the dorms? Diana recalled that the last time Nami even tried to pull an all nighter, she ended up dozing the whole day after.

But even then, she left a message that she'd be hibernating at her quarters for the rest of the day.

 _Shit_. She would've messaged her. Or called her. Or anything, especially with the whole class witnessing her send off from Dr. Sol.

In her hurried and flurried state, she never even once checked if her phone. It should be fine right? It's in the front pocket, she remembered placing it there after that stupid thing didn't wake her up.

Blood drained from her face as she opened her bag to see nothing but a few old, tattered receipts. No phone.  
  
The bells of the café rung to her surprise. Nami held the doors open, scanning the place looking worried and relief washed over her once she saw Diana peering towards where she stood.

"Diana!" Nami almost tripped scrambling towards the table where she was, carrying at least 3 rims of papers and a few notebooks in her bag with another stack of folders nestled on her other arm. "I've been trying to call you for the nth time already! Why the hell do you have your phone shut off?"

 _Great_. "It's gone. Maybe it's gone. I don't know where it is. I must've left it or it could've dropped somewhere. I don’t know." She sighed and cursed. "I lost it," Diana mumbled under her breathe and hid her face behind her hands. Why did this happen to her? It's not like she deserved this. How was she going to tell her parents now? A lost phone and a dwindling grade, she'll be happy if her parents didn't disown her right after she's told them about her situation.

"Dr. Sol was too brutal!" Seeing Diana drenched like a wet puppy had Nami concerned. "Oh my gosh, are you okay?"

"He's denied me my midterms. And he didn't take my case. How the hell do you think I feel?"

"Don't worry. Everything's going to be fine when Doc Sora arrives. We'll try to talk to her, you know, explain to her about the situation. Try to make you get a finals or get her to accept the case report or… anything! I'm sure she'll understand! Right?" A quiver in her voice, Nami looking for her calculator underneath all her paraphernalia stuffed in her black hole of a messenger bag. It took her a least a minute, but once she got a hold of it, she took out a blank piece of paper and started scribbling.

"C'mon, we can compute your standings, get a rough estimate on your grade! Let's start with your quizzes. I'm sure you've gotten hold of your current grades right? If we cou—"

"Nami."

"— t's in the syllabus, if I recall, and there are 4 reports scattered throughout the semest—"

"Nami." She called her friend out a little louder.

"—Aaaand you aced the last 4 quizzes, you did pass all the home works and the papers. You also have some recitation points, right? Can I just assum—"

"Nami…" Diana placed her hand on Nami's shoulder to get her to stop. Nami's eyes now were on her. "Not now." She's exhausted. "Please."

Diana's hand felt cold and shaky on her shoulder. "You can do this, Diana. You'll pull through. I'll be here to help you out! This is just another hurdle you're going to have to jump over and I'll be here cheering you from the sidelines!"

"I know I can. I'll deal with this later. Right now, I want to get things off my mind for a while. I'm still a little shaken." She's done her computations awhile ago, and based off of that, she'll be needing a good streak of grades from now on and a perfect final exam score to end up with a grade that's barely passing.

She needs more than that to actually pass her standards. There's gotta be a way to pull it up but she didn't want to think about it right now. She was emotionally drained and she needed to recuperate.

"Besides, since midterms are over, I'll have some time to relax."

Nami's eyes lit up at the sound of relax. "You know," she put her calculator down. "Sare's been eyeing the end of midterms since the start of the semester…"

"Nami, no." She knew Nami was referring to the party. It's all what Sarah Fortune's been talking, no, broadcasting about. She's calling it a soirée dedicated to the end of midtems. Only if Sarah got her definition right, she'd have known that she was blatantly misusing the term soirée since there was nothing fancy about any party Sarah's thrown so far. "I've got better things to do and partying isn't one of them."

"So what other things are better to do and wind you down than going to a party? Clean your dorm? I've seen your room, it's _immaculate._ I could eat off your table if you don't have any plates." She giggled at Diana mumbling a slightly inaudible 'please don't do that' as a response, but then remembered that dorms were occupied by 2 people. "Well, your side of it anyway. Unless you're cleaning your roommates."

"Oh God, no way. Nami! No. No. No." The image of her roommate warning her not to touch anything on her side of the room was still fresh in her head. She's been warned not to touch anything or else she's _in it for a good beating_ and Diana's always one to stay away from fights. After that, there was no way she touching anything on her side of the dorm. Not even trash. Her roommate reeked of trouble and Diana didn't want any part of it. "Well, my room's pretty dirty after last night. I've got a few things to arrange and my laundry—"

"We're university students! It's highly acceptable to be slobs every now and then!" She stated matter-of-factly. "It'll be fun! Besides, when's the last time you've had any fun?"

"Oh, a few weeks ago. I finished the papers sudoku puzzle. In ink and under 5 minutes!" That reminded her, she hasn't touched the puzzle section of the newspaper in weeks. Which means she'll have a lot more puzzles to work on. Something to look forward to when she retreated back to her dorm room later. They're all stacked neatly at the side of her little table and she took note of starting them once she got back.

Nami's face, however looked more confused than ever. "Are you really serious Diana? Really? Sudoku? You're 19 years old and you get excited over puzzles. _Number puzzles_. Geez," she snorted. "You're like my grandpa."

"Then your grandfather must be a very sophisticated man."

"Or," She quipped, wagging her finger across Diana's face. "We could take it the other way around and that you're probably an old woman stuck in the body of a university student." Diana's smile turned into a frown. Nami put her hands up, trying hard to conceal her laughter, "Hey! I'm showing you both sides of the situation here!"

As much as she wanted to strangle Nami right then and there, she started to feel a little better. Now, she needed her caffiene.

And on queue, Leona came with Diana's mug, still steaming. "One double-shot cappuccino." She placed it on an open space on the table not occupied by Diana's papers.

"Oh oh oh, Leo, perfect timing!" Nami reached out for Leona's wrist. "Can I get an iced mocha? Pleeeeeaaase? And make it a large one!" She sounded like a toddler, but come to think of it, Nami always sounded like a toddler getting overly excited about the simplest things.

"Sure. It'll be right up. You want a Chocolate Marbled Pound cake with that? It's five minutes off the oven and is definitely _divine_ with a iced mocha."

Nami's eyes glistened at the sound of it, probably even started to drool. "Yes please!" She yelped excitedly. "You're the best!"

"Coming right up." Leona tipped her hat and went straight to the bar.

"She's the best. I swear she's got everyone memorized to the order. You think she has little notes on everyone of us regulars here?" Diana cringed at the idea of it. "I love her so much!"

 _Why even?_ "Nami, that's creepy. Stalker-level creepy." Diana didn't understand her one bit. It's her job. She took her mug and sipped to keep her mouth shut, ignoring the leaf pattern intricately made atop her drink.

The cappuccino tasted bitter on her lips. Bitter enough to hold the tears welling up in her eyes and to soothe her panic-stricken soul. A table filled with her drenched notes and school work, her case work included. Her phone was probably in the hands of a stranger—she's never going to get that back now. Sitting across her, Nami was in an unending train of thought trying to help her salvage so little of what small dignity Diana still had left.

Yes. Today was definitely was not her day. And nothing in the world could make any of this slightly better.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimers apply. I don't own League or any of it's characters/champions.

The night was chilly but Diana felt too preoccupied and numb on the inside to even bother. She had her dark blue, Old Navy jacket tied at her waist and her lips felt chapped from walking aimlessly on the way home. She had her hands fiddling with the loose change in her pocket—she's been playing with it the whole time she was walking on her way back to the dorm. 

The university's dormitory building looked like it had been pulled from the Victorian Era. Although most of its teachings and the materials kept up with the advancements, the university's building designs were preserved from the time it was built. The dormitory was clad in handmade tiles, mimicking the surrounding architecture. Its color, a rustic red, was chosen intentionally to contrast the cobble stone pathway leading up to its entrance, which had a white awning long and wide enough to have at least two dozen students standing underneath it to keep them sheltered from rain.

She might not have been vocal about it, but she really appreciated how they looked. It was archaic but still managed to look very classy. And it's not like the interior was forgotten in the design process—the student rooms were pretty cosy. It's got a few common rooms too for either study or leisure—the latter one she barely uses. There's a gym somewhere on one of the higher floors, she can't recall which one it was on though.

But what she really loved about the dorms is its proximity to every establishment she considers an essential part of her personal college experience. Her class buildings, the library, the bookstore and of course, the café were all a 5 to 10 minute walk away from it.

The sound of the basketball hitting the pavement made her feel slightly relieved. The basketball court was situated right beside the dorms and was her own landmark when walking towards it. Just a few steps away then—

"Hey Diana!" She looked up the same time the ball hit the chain fence hard.

She jumped back a bit surprised, then noticed the teen, about roughly her age and slightly taller than herself, holding up the ball waving at her with the biggest, goofiest smile he could ever muster up.

Diana didn't know how to react so gave him a quick nod and continued on walking towards her dorms.

He seemed familiar. She knows she's met him before but wasn't really sure exactly where. _I think his name was Adrian. Or Anthony? No, something more ancient. Whatever._ No use thinking about it so she pushed it to the back of her head.

She'll finally be able to do some unwinding and get a good rest before next week starts.

Her right shoulder, where she slung her bag, was aching. It must've started aching a few minutes ago but she only noticed it now. Her neck, massaging her free hand on it, was definitely strained. It was a long day and the only thing on her mind was to rest.

It's been long since she's actually had proper time to recuperate. Juggling all the school work she had this semester was definitely tough, but not an impossible feat to accomplish. She's foregone weekends without going home and seeing her family, rejected a lot of invitations to parties, weddings or even special affairs and dedicate that time to either study, finish home works or read ahead.

"Damn," She mumbled. Exhaustion's finally caught up with her. Never bothered her before but right now, she could really feel that her body's ready to pass out any minute. She quickly made her way towards her own room on the 3rd floor using the stairs, the elevator installed _always_ stopped at every other floor, she didn't want to wait for it. The thought of having to ride it with some of the other residing students scared her—there was no way she'd entertain the chance of small talk even if the chances were pretty slim.

Opening the door, she placed her bag underneath her bed and stretched her shoulders. _Finally_. That stretch felt _amazing._

The stack of newspapers she had in mind was a sight to see as Diana scampered over to it. Quickly, she retrieved her blue-ink pen from her drawer and took the top-most paper from the pile. She's going to finish the whole stack, then take a shower and go right to sleep. Her crescent shaped desk clock showed that the time was roughly 19:13.

That's a lot of time but this, referring to the stack of newsprints, was a lot of puzzles. So, she didn't waste any time and dug right into it.

After what Diana thought was already the whole entire night, she neatly placing the last newspaper atop her pile of already finished Sudoku ones and checked the time on her desk clock again.

21:03.

What? She couldn't believe it. Finishing those puzzles felt like the entire night has gone by. No way did she finish that stack all in just a measly _two hours_.

 _Well, that's that_.

There was nothing to do tonight that needed turning in tomorrow. Since her midterms have gone by, there's nothing else more to study for, or work on, or submit.

She took a quick shower and changed into her pyjamas. Feeling all freshened up and ready for bed, she neatly tucked herself in before turning off her night lamp.

But the moment her head hits her pillow, this morning's mishap plays ever so slowly in her mind.

That _damned_ professor ruined her.

Humiliated in front of a lot of people—no, students. Students that knew _her_. And to top it off, they _witnessed_ her guaranteed failure in the exam. A very important exam. It all played inside her head in detail.

She really could've done something. Like beg. Or demanded the mean professor to let her take the exam. She should've made a scene. Something. Anything that could've gotten her out of _not taking that damn exam_.

Diana felt all too powerless at that moment. Why did she flinch at the sight of the Dr. Sol? He wasn't _that_ intimidating! Sure, he was tall, with those stern, murderous golden eyes, sporting a beard rivalling that of St. Nick but she still shouldn't have stood there helpless. She shouldn't have! No one deserved to be treated the way that Professor handled the situation. Besides, he wasn't even teaching that particular class. He didn't have any say on this! This was unfair!

 _Well_ , she thought. None of this would've happened if she just fucking woke up to that stupid alarm. If she did then she would've gotten there in time, finished the exam without worry and get through this day without anything lingering in the back of her head.

 _But she didn't_. That stupid alarm didn't even go off and now she's paying the price for it! It's pretty good that her phone was not with her because she would've thrown it against the wall. She didn't care if it shattered into pieces, it deserved every ounce of anger surging through her right now.

Thinking about it, a phone's just a phone right? It rang—it should have. It's not like if she programmed it to go off, it wouldn't. She's got her alarms set to 5:00AM every day in increments of 5 minutes for a full hour. It's been waking her up since she started university and it's always rang on those times, with that annoying bullhorn tone, in that obnoxiously loud volume.

She didn't wake up because she was just too tired.

Why didn't she sleep the night before? Day after day, she's been getting less and less sleep to make up for more time for school work. She's even gone through a 24-hour period without stopping for a quick nap. That's probably why she didn't wake up to her alarm, even though it was nestled beside her ear.

This wasn't fair. All that effort to maintain a superior GPA ruined because she didn't get enough sleep.

_Fuck me._

It didn't seem that she was going to get any sleep at all. All this tossing and turning made her uncomfortable. And even forcing herself to close her eyes felt like a chore. Thinking about something else didn't do any justice for her either. She's wide awake. Her body's still shaken. Her mind was no different.

She needed something to do. Something that could get her mind off _that_.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a light yellow thing tucked neatly in the corner of her nightstand. "Oh, right," she remembered, reaching out for it, dusting it off.

A book. It was still wrapped in plastic with its price sticker on. It was one of those purchases out of whim. She checked out the cover at the bookstore and noted the young adult, contemporary romance-y vibe it had— a woman sitting atop one of those pool chairs floating on a pool, raising her glass, filled with alcohol, with a man in the same position, their back towards the cover, all shot in a bleak, yellow light under what she assumes to be a street light. Its title laid out in a lazy manner against a large white cloth in the background with the authors name typed out in the bottom part of it.

She's read far too many books in the same genre to give her a good idea on how the plot was going to pan out. Romance, heart break, probably involving another one of those pastel painted perfect men with a hint of an annoying factor, and a guaranteed happy ending.

And yet, she still bought it. She remembered saying to herself that this might actually be different from all the other books out there. Besides, even if it turned out to be bad, it's still going to be a book to read.

_Guilty pleasure, heh._

It's been forgotten, hidden in plain sight. She's been swamped with her school work to even bother to give the first page a look. She's promised to read this at the start of the semester— she really did. She's placed it on the night table but soon as the semester started to pick up, her need to even start the book was already diminishing to the point that's she's completely neglected it.

 _Now's a good time to start_ , she thought. She took it, carefully taking it out from the plastic wrap and started to read.

Maybe, she'll tire out after a few chapters. She won't plan on finishing it in a span of a night. Just to get her drowsy and finally be able to get one hell of a good night's rest.

But, as she turned page after page, she swore each one would be the last. _Too late_ , she's now somewhere past the first few chapters she thought would tire her out. She's hooked, and she needed to know what's going to happen chapter end after chapter end.

And in that time, she didn't even feel herself nod off to sleep.

Waking up to the sound of hard wood slamming against the alabaster walls was unexpected and was far from what anyone wanted as a wakeup call. Living in a dorm with a roommate that was the walking definition of brash and abrasive, Diana was no longer surprised. She rubbed her eyes until the form of her roommate became clear.

"Hey there, kiddo!" Her voice hitting Diana's ear exactly like the door she haphazardly slammed. That damn girl always called her _kiddo_ , or kid, or some other nickname she felt like using. It was irksome but she held back her tongue, hoping that the scowl forming on her face every time she got called some weird reference would get her roommate to think that this was somewhat uncomfortable— _it isn't working so far_.

She snarled. Her face was still buried in page 236—already the edges slightly folded and a bit ruffled— of the book she held last night. Slightly pushing herself off the bed, her eyes met blue ones—also looking a bit dazed, probably drunk, and obviously tired—from across the room.

"You're still here? Isn't it a little too early for you to be here?" Her roommate tried to sound coherent but yawned in the middle of her sentence, not even bothering to cover her mouth with a hand.

Diana was still in her light blue, moon-pattered pyjamas, and the room still looked exactly as it was since her roommate left it—her own side littered with random little things like bottles and stray lighters, pieces of clothing hanging of different furniture like the side of her desk or the small space between her headboard, stray screwdrivers and a few nuts and bolts sitting where it's least expected to be.

Diana's side, however, had everything in order as always, aside for the stack of newsprint paper placed in a slight disarray on top of Diana's little wooden desk.

"Okay, a little too late for you to still be here?" She paused noting Diana still in her sleep wear, then added, "I guess?"

Diana made no remark, ignoring her completely. Instead, she straightened out the page she accidentally made into her pillow and tucked it into the little shelf she had beside her bed. She then laid her head on her actual pillow, facing away from her roommate.

"My guess, yeah probably." Her roommate quipped. "You deserve a break, dude. I don't see you at all here and the only time I do, you're nose deep in one of them books heavier than building bricks. Ya know what they say about Jack being a dumb boy."

"It's dull." She corrected her. "All work, no play makes Jack a _dull_ boy."

"Bah," she waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Dull. Dumb. Dimwit. It all sounds the same to me." Diana's now holding back a lecture about the difference of those three words. They were different, they even _sounded_ different. _Christ._

And without a warning, she dropped her whole body weight on to her bed paired with a loud 'crash' and a few jingles. Her legs, still with her soiled jeans and dirty boots, were hanging off the foot board while her head missing the small pillow just slightly. She still had some tools, Diana counted a steel tape measure, a screwdriver and a hammer, buckled onto her belt. A greased hand came up to grab it and she tucked it by her left cheek.

"Any way, I'm turning in. Been up for a whoppin' 24 hours so G'night," was the last thing she said. After a few seconds, she let out a thundering snore, capable of waking up the whole entire floor.

The mid-morning sun shone harshly through their window, lying slightly slanted on their wooden floor like a stream of water. It lit up their whole room and it was too bright.

_Nobody needed that much sunlight today._

She got up, her shoulder blade still aching and her body heavy, and closed the curtains.

* * *

"DIIIIAAAANAAAA!"

Nami's all too excited greeting paired with a loud thud as the door once again slammed against the wall.

"I'm not going to get any peace around here, am I?" She mumbled into her pillow. Just when she was about to slip into sleep, Nami showed up uninvited. Loud. Unannounced. Exactly the way her roommate woke her up not too long ago.

"Wow, you look like something my cat would've drag in," she said, walking over the Diana who then hid her head under her pillow. "Do you have any plans on leaving your room today?" She reached out to poke a finger on Diana's back. "Ugh, did you even bathe? You feel sticky and grimy. Like a homeless person but prettier."

" _Nami,_ " she warned. "Don't." She wasn't sticky and grimy, Diana suppressed the need to argue with her. Of course, Nami didn’t mean it, she was probably exaggerating, like always. Inside though, she wanted Nami to take those words back.

Nami reached out to grab a part of Diana's shirt to pull her up. Diana tried to shove her hand away but Nami's grip on her favorite night shirt was too strong. "You're smelly! And you reek of alcohol. And is that grease I smell?"

"That isn't me," her hand still slightly pushing Nami's hand away from her. She pointed at the slumbering student across the room. "If anything, I'd be smelling like caffeine. Not alcohol."

"Holy shit!" Nami put her free hand across her mouth. "I didn't notice her here. Was she here since I came in? Oh my God, she's _terrifying._ She looks like she came from a bar fight against ten other people _and won._ Yikes."

Diana shook her head. Although agreeing with Nami that her roommate looked dishevelled, Diana gave her the benefit of the doubt. "She's obviously intoxicated and I don't think you'll wake her up. She's harmless, unless you have any plans on fighting her barehanded, she's far from terrifying."

Nami's consistent tugging was already pissing her off. She got it, Nami had her full attention, now she just wanted her to let go.

"Diana, I need a huuuuge favor from you."

"No," came her quick reply.

"What? You don't even know what I'm going to ask you yet!"

"It's definitely going to involve me going out of my room. Something I don't plan on doing, _at all,_ today. I'm staying here."

"Why are you staying here? It's such a beautiful day! Birds chirping, bees buzzing and hey, even the flowers are blooming!" Diana cringed, she never was one to appreciate a good day. Especially _now_.

"Am I no longer allowed to grieve?" Nami snickered at her remark. Of course, Nami wouldn't understand. She never did. "Let me be."

"Grieve? For what? Did someone die yesterday?" Diana hissed at her reply, Nami knew exactly what she was talking about but chose to completely ignore it and shifted the conversation back to her favor. She’s not going to let Diana make her forget the reason she was here in the first place. "Please Diana, say yes!” Another tug on her shirt and Diana's mood went from slightly annoyed to sour. This time, she tightly gripped Nami's wrist, urging her to let go. "I need you right now."

"Don't you have other people you can ask?"

"Everyone's going home for the weekend, well, everyone I can count on. And that leaves you!" She poked Diana's shoulder, urging Diana to at least look at her. "It's going to be a pretty small favor, I promise."

"Since where were your favors ever small? The last one, might I remind you, we moved all your stuff out of your dorm and replaced everything in it." She recalled everything vividly. The heavy boxes going in and out of her small room. She coerced Diana that day since it was the only time that she could move stuff around given that her own dorm mate was going to be out of school for a couple of days. "Honestly you should've hired a mover, the amount of stuff you have in there could furnish a new home. And you're just living in a dorm!"

"Yes, yes, yes! And I cannot thank you enough for helping me on that one." Nami patted Diana's back. "Everyone backed out last minute on that one. Reasons I shall _not_ disclose." Nami rolled her eyes, the mumbled under her breath, "Garen and Jarv were too drunk to even wake up properly. Lux had to watch over those boys."

Diana shook her head. What's the point of telling anyone that she's not going to disclose information then tell it the next few breaths? "Are you not going to leave me alone? And let go of my shirt, you're ruining it."

She pouted, then let go. "Pleeeeease Diana…" And went on again with that incessant begging, even went as far as going on her knees.

She wasn't going to stop and Diana knew it. Being friends with Nami her whole entire stay in the university, she knew of Nami's insistent side—this _begging_ would go on for ages. Might as well surrender now than waste any more time.

"Sooooo, what's this favor?"

"Well…" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Diana was hoping it was something that didn't require any physical activity.

 _Please, tell me she needs help with one of her classes. Or a paper that needs proofreading._ _Or maybe some brainstorming. Brainstorming would be perfect since they wouldn’t have to go anywhere, they could stay in the library or the study halls._

"I need someone to give me opinions on a dress, or outfit, I'm buying for this weekend's party."

Diana's face dropped and all intentions of actually helping Nami out flew right out the window. She was sitting at the edge of her bed and the moment she heard the word 'buying', she took her pillow and lied down facing away from Nami. Buying meant shopping, as in going to the mall for hours, possibly from opening time to closing, until Nami's out of cash or out of options, whichever came first.

"I take it back. It's not a good day to go outside Nami. I'm going back to sleep."

"Diana! You already said yes! Please."

"No I didn't." Her brows furrowed as she groaned. "I asked you what favor you wanted. I didn't agree to it yet."

" _Please_ ," Nami crossed her arms. "I really need you! Luxanna's going home with Garen and the rest of the other girls already left. Besides, staying cooped up in here is bad for your health. It'll be fun!"

"We already had fun _yesterday_." Diana rolled her eyes. "We spent the whole damn day in the café. I wanted to leave earlier but you begged me to stay. I ordered another cup of coffee to hang out. I gave you your free pass, now leave me alone."

"Pleeeeeasse!" _Again._ This time, Diana was going to say no. She's not going out of her dorm to go _shopping._

"Nami!" Diana, again warned her, her voice already bordering an angry tone with her jaw clenching.

"Diana!" Nami replies, completely disregarding Diana's timbre and shot her a look that would put puppy dog eyes from an actual puppy to shame. She even sounded pitiful, making Diana feel a little mean for yelling at her.

Diana was far from a shopping mood right now. Going to the mall was not going to get her anything aside from a few laughs and a few opinions. Glances through glass displays, imagining if the items for sale would look good on her, on her desk, on her notebook, and she'd be automatically be thrown off by the price.

Apart from that, she's sure everyone's going to be there. Midterms just finished, and everyone's counting on some kind of unwinding for this weekend. There's going to be tons of people, students, teacher's, TA's, research students, and everyone else that's either employed or enrolled in the university.

And to top it off, she's sure Nami's going to need an extra pair of hands carrying all those things she decides to buy. She's definitely not going home with just  _one_ paper bag. That's never happened. And it probably never will.

No way was she going to go shopping now. _No way in hell._

Nami still held that puppy dog expression and she's sure she's immune to it.

But if she didn't go, Nami's going to pester her even more and make her feel guilty. And that's something Diana's not going to deal with.

...

...

...

Weighing in her options, Diana decided that there was only one way to go.

"Okay, okay, okay. Fine." She sighed in defeat, nodding her head slightly. It's deal with her friend now, or suffer the consequences of not going. She surely wasn't going to keep up with Nami's guilt tripping, and that's one thing that's much more horrible than a day in the mall. "Give me fifteen to twenty minutes and wait for me outside. I'll get dressed as quick as I can."

Nami squealed in delight, shaking her hands in front of her chest while turning and jumping excitedly. "I knew it! I knew I can always count on you! I'll be waiting for you in the lobby!"

Nami ran out the door too quick to even see Diana roll her eyes.

Diana got out of her bed begrudgingly and took the first pieces of clothing she could get her hands on from her closet.

_This is going to be a looooong day._

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Usual disclaimer applies. And oh, hey there, I finally found my plot. Took me a while but I got it!  
> To every kudos and every comment, I appreciate the support. It keeps me writing! I never thought this would pick up as much.

"Isn't it such an amazing day today, Di?" Nami chirped, her excited walk bordering skipping as Diana reluctantly followed her a few steps behind.

She was right. The scorching sun was out, no sign of clouds nearby. Birds were chirping the most appalling tune. Flowers blooming in a hideous way—she was never one that appreciated flowers, whether they were growing in a garden or arranged for a bouquet to be given away.

"If you consider being _dragged_ outside against your will as amazing, then yes. I agree, today is indeed quite lovely."

"And it's become lovelier because you're out with me!" Her voice was shaky, even sounded a little guilty. But Nami wasn't going to let Diana's sour mood ruin this little trip to the mall. Besides, she needed to be in a good mental state to find the right outfit for tomorrow!

"No. Nu-uh," Diana shook her head. "How is a day out with you _lovely_? You know what would've been lovely? Me, catching up on some much needed sle—"

"And waking up to the same old cranky you," Nami snorted, reminding her about her temper, especially on days like this. "Believe me, Di, you're definition of a break isn't working because you're still grumpy. In fact, you always seem grumpier when you've taken a 15-hour _nap_."

Diana crossed her arms, her brow slightly furrowed and her lips in a pout. "How da—"

"Don't be such a sour puss. You need a little outdoors in your life or else you'll be dead before you're actually dead!" Diana felt like she was being scolded by her mother. "Give yourself a break every once in a while."

"I _was_ on a break, Nami," Diana clarified, still bitter that her so-called friend came in and forced her to go shopping with her. No, _guilt-tripped_ her to go along.

"But look! You're outside, away from anything school related or mind. You're getting a good dose of sunlight, your brain is far from any _heavy reading_ , and hey, we could actually get a good lunch besides the subpar food they serve in the cafeteria."

"Sure, right. You care, I get it." She waved her off, already a few meters away from the mall entrance. She was right though, there were so many people going in and out of the mall that it looked so congested. "But before anything else, I should really get my phone replaced."

"There's a PiltCon near the entrance," Nami took her by the wrist but Diana pulled her back.

"What's the rush?" She asked. They had the whole day. There's no legitimate reason for them to be in a hurry.

"Diana, if we get there and there's a line, we're going to have to wait forever. You see how many people are in the mall right? That's time I really don't have today. We need to get there fast to get to the front first."

Diana crossed her arms. Was she really serious? "We'll get there when w—"

"Too late!" Nami took her by the arm and made a run for the store.

They were lucky that the store was empty when they got there. Diana, giving Nami an all-knowing look and Nami replied with an awkward, smile and a scratch to the head.

"See, I got us here early," she explained. Diana shook her head and proceeded to the counter.

The transactions were fast through system. Diana was able to get the exact model she lost, but at a hefty price—a year's worth of savings. _Its fine_ , she thought, she'll be able to save up again. Rather than telling her parents she's lost it, this was the price she was willing to pay.

It was taking a while since the attendant left them for the stock room to get her model. It's been 8 minutes, what the hell was taking him so lo—

"Diana?"

The call of her name by a familiar voice sent a chill down her spine. It was enough she was out with Nami, she didn't expect anyone she knew to be meeting her out here. She bit her lip and turned her head towards the person who called her.

"Diana! Wow, you're out of your room on a Friday. How are you? I would never have imagined you out here at this time of day."

"Sarah," She greeted her a little unenthusiastically, crossing her arms. "Nice to see you too."

"This is crazy. I always thought you hibernated during these little breaks."

She sneered. "I was. Until a little devil showed up on my doorstep and pestered me out the door."

"I'm not a little devil, Di!" Nami was appalled by her answer."You looked like you needed a little pick-me-up and retail therapy is the best medicine I've got. Think about it for a second, I'm actually an angel."

"You know. If you really want something to get your mind off of things," Sarah placed her hand on the glass display, slightly tapping her nails on it. "I've got a little event planned that'll give you a little break from school. You know, something to get your mind off of stress for the weekend."

Diana's face turned white.

_What? Does Sarah know? Was she in one of the classes that took the exam? Wait, what was Sarah's major again? Oh no, she saw it. If she saw that little scene then it's sure to reach—_

"And it's going to get you right out off that little slump of yours." Sarah snapped her fingers right in front of Diana's face.

"I'm hosting a little party on the weekend. There's gonna be free booze, all the adorable frat guys" She paused, then added, "Oh and I'm going to make sure that there's music you can dance to and show off those wicked dancing skills. It's going to be exciting."

Diana sighed, "I'm not into parties. Never have and I probably never will. Thanks for the offer though."

"But you've never even been to one, right? Even in high school, you never went to any of the parties I invited you too." Sarah reasoned. "How can you say that you aren't a party goer if you haven't even tried going to one? You can't really say something isn't great if you don't have the experience to back it up, honey."

Diana winced.

"Besides, I know students with strong connections to Dr. Sol and I guarantee they’re coming. You could chat them up a bit, see if they could do anything about that grade of yours."

_She does know. If she knew then everyone else might've known about it. I’m so screwed._

"I'm fully booked on the weekend." Although, her offer sounded a lot more tempting now. Anyone with a connection to Dr. Sol might get her to have a little chat with the professor, and if things go her way, she wouldn't have to tell anyone about that _one time she failed a class because she slept through her alarm._ And her parents didn't need to know about any of this.

"C'mon Diana!" Sarah interrupted. "Live a little! It'll be fun. And I'm sure Nami over here wouldn't want you to miss out on any of it." Then directed her attention towards Nami, "You're going, right?"

Nami answered with a thumbs up paired with a smile. "I wouldn't miss it for the world!" She shifted her gaze from Sarah to Diana, "and I definitely want you to come along with me! It's the ultimate college experience and you must gooooooo!"

Diana felt another arm on her shoulder, she's sure it's Sarah's. Diana held back a huge sigh. _Great_ , now the both of them are in it.

Diana never understood why Sarah would even try to reach out. She's been like this since high school and it's something she's known for—being too amicable. It's endearing, but there are other students out there who were much more willing to go to whatever she's up to. Diana, if she can, would try to shy away from anything—Sares was well aware of that. But there was no harm in reaching out, right? She was being thoughtful, just like Nami.

"So, are you coming?" Sarah asked, flashing an all knowing grin. Nami was already tugging Diana's arm to the point that she felt that her shoulder could pop off any time.

 _Say no,_ she mentally scolded _herself. It's simple, just say no. You're busy like always._ _You need sleep. You need some time to yourself. You don't need to go. You don't need those students with connections to Dr. Sol. You don't._

"I don't like loud music. I don't drink alcohol. And I'm not _down_ with mingling with strangers or students or anyone for the weekend. I will no—"

"It'll be good for you. Some time to unwind, stop thinking about school." She insisted.

"And almost everyone's going to be there!" Nami, again, ignoring Diana's signals of _not wanting to go._

But then again, it's going to keep her mind off of failure and from overthinking scenarios that'll probably ruin her career. A change in atmosphere might be great? And it never hurt to just drop by. She could always leave when she gets too bored, or too uncomfortable—either of the two would do and the dorms a few minutes away.

Nami was never a good drunk too. She was happy, yes, offering to give another drunk lady a puppy because she was sad about some small, uninteresting story of unrequited love. And she had to drag her home too. Nami's legs gave out _and malfunctioned—_ her own words, not Diana's—and forgot how to walk.

The risk was too real. Fine, she had to babysit Nami. She wasn't going to just leave her there, not without Luxanna or the other girls keeping watch over her.

And to top it off, someone knows Dr. Sol. Everyone knows how hard it was to schedule a consult with him, let alone stop and have a chat with him? This was her ticket out of that zero midterm.

She took a deep breath and said, "I'll… think about it."

_Christ._

"Yes! I knew you'd come! Finally, I get to see you in a fun, social shindig that isn't required by the academe!" Sarah giggled. Diana on the other hand, was cringing internally—those school required events brought out the worst in her. Why'd she even have to remind her of them?

"For the record, none of those were _fun._ "

"But, I promise this party is not like that. It's going to be _suuuper_ fun. Just drop by the Phi Omega Sigma House and tell them you're my guests, alright?"

Diana rolled her eyes, then commented, "I can't wai—" 

"Me too!" Nami cut her deadpan remark, nearly ripping of Diana's sleeve in her excitement. "I need to get rid of all these negative vibes and this is definitely going to get it out of my system! This is exactly what I need as a post-midterm relaxation session."

 _Yay_ , she thought. This weekend definitely was picking up, except in the wrong direction.

Sarah's ticket got called and bid farewell to the two, reminding Diana to send her regards to her parents.

Nami's jaw dropped the moment Sarah turned her back towards them. "I absolutely didn't know you knew her. How come you didn't tell me? We could've gone to all her hosted parties!" Nami whispered to her, trying so hard to keep her voice down.

"We went to the same high school," came a stoic reply.

"She knows your parents?"

Diana flinched. "Yes."

"So that must mean…" She looked around, making sure the subject of their conversation was far enough that they wouldn't be heard. "You're close with _Sarah_? She knows your parents."

"Yes, I know her. My parents know her too. That's it."

"Bu—"

"Enough with the questions," she reprimanded, looking at Nami with a fierce gaze.

And on cue, the attendant, his forehead covered in sweat and out of breath, came with her phone in a paper bag. "I apologize for the delay. System's not working with me right now."

"It's okay," she took it quickly from him, muttered a small, irritable, "Thanks," then left the store at a hurried pace.

"Hey," Nami tried to poke Diana but she was walking at a much faster pace.

"Hey," Nami tried again. She was able to poke her this time, but Diana was clearly ignoring her.

"He—"

"What?" She was right.

"You… dance?" It was something Nami never imagined Diana would do. Someone who's always taken studying a little too seriously, and she's also never seen Diana bust a move to any type of music. It was an interesting fact though, she's sure to make a mental note of it.

"Drop it, Nami."

"So, you coul—"

"Nami!" She said in an angry tone. "I told you to stop with the questions now quit it!"

Nami backed off, a sly smile forming across her lips. She's trying to picture it in her head—Diana, _dancing_. It was such an unlikely talent for Diana. She's always cooped up in her room, reading, studying, or writing an article. It was a long shot to try to get her to dance, and she didn't want to get mauled in the middle of a mall.

But for now, she's happy to drop the subject, because that meant Diana did _dance_.

Walking into shops, taking at least 30 minutes in each one and walking out with another paper bag was expected. Nami's already bought more than enough clothes to last her the rest of the month without bringing her clothes to the laundry. And to top that off, she's bought them for the most ridiculous reasons. She's got a dozen shirts— _they were on sale_. A pair of new flip-flops—they looked gorgeous on her feet and who could say no to the tiny seashell charm it had? And a few pairs of jeans—which made her butt look so nice.

And even thought she already was carrying six bags from three different clothing shops, Nami was still reluctant to go home. It was still a little too early and the sun was still out, so there's no rush, right? Besides, she's still looking around for what she was going to wear to tomorrow's part. Asking her if she had anything in mind was futile, but she had her heart set out to finding that particular _something_.

"Do I look good in this?" The door to her dressing room flung open, the other sun dresses and polo shirts she recently fit were scattered on the floor. "Like, it isn't too inviting but it makes me look cute right?"

"Should my opinion matter? You always buy stuff regardless if I say it looks good on you or not." Diana sat in the little seat located in the middle of the dressing room across Nami's cubicle. She had her legs crossed, the bags of everything they purchased placed beside her. She had a brochure of the massage chair they were selling in a kiosk somewhere in the middle of the mall—she couldn't say no so she took one and whimpered a quiet _thank you_ for it.

"No I don't, Diana! I consider your opinion wholeheartedly!" She defended herself. "But sometimes it gets overridden because I look cute in it."

"Fine. You look amazing," she said deadpan. Her focus, however, was still on the brochure she held intently on her hand.

"You aren't even looking!" Diana looked up from the paper to study Nami's choice. It was a simple sundress with a batik pattern on it and its skirt a little more fluid than the last few she's tried on. 

"Yes. You do look amazing but I don't think hot pink is a color that suits you, or anyone else, well. Are you going to the beach? It isn't even summer and you're already sporting sundresses. And if you think you're going to wear _that_ tomorrow, it's not the right thing to wear. Don't you already have a few sundresses back in your closet? I remember you had two new ones when you moved in."

"There we go. An honest opinion with a side of sarcasm and a voice of reason!" She sounded too excited but Diana was right, she still thought the outfit looked adorable on her. "I'm taking this, I might need it sometime in the future."

Diana rolled her eyes. "Future, sure. The beach seems like a lovely destination sometime in the middle of winter."

They walked out of the dressing room, Nami was still in a heavy debate which of those dozen of clothes she was going to purchase, Diana had her mind wandering and her eyes skimming through the clothes displayed all over the store until one particular piece of clothing caught her eye.

A little, black dress.

It wasn't _that_ sexy since it had all the necessary parts covered up but she's sure as hell won't be allowed in church if she wore it. It was sleek, probably going to give her curves in all the right places if she decides to wear it. It had an off-shoulder neckline, giving her shoulders the extra emphasis it needed. In her mind, she thought about herself wearing that dress and oh God…

…it looked really _, really nice._

She had to check it out. She walked over to it to reach out to feel it, the idea of finding some fault with it was growing within her at an intense pace. _The sleeves looked too weird & the dress itself looked a little too short for her. Maybe the fabric's too itchy?_ The fabric should be a little, _oh no_ , the fabric was soft. Oh god, a dress that didn't feel like a straitjacket at all despite it being deceptively restricting. She could dance in it comfortably without it wrinkling up.

"You like it?"

Diana jumped back, her hand snapping from the garment and into her pockets hastily. "No. N-no. Nothing. I was just looking around. It reminded me of something my mother would wear but I was wrong. It's a different color, and the cut of the dress, kinda a little off. It looks similar but that's just abou—"

"Cut it out, no need to be defensive," Nami snickered as she kept a sly smile spread across her face. "So, the real question here is, do you want to try it on?"

"No, I told you, I don't want it. I'd rather go home. Are you done?"

"Not unless you are." Nami had her hands on Diana's elbow faster than Diana could've walked out of her reach.

"Nami, what's that even supp—"

"Stop whining, I saw the way you were looking at it." She took the dress from across Diana, slightly hitting the hanger on Diana's arm and examined it. "It's going to look _fantastic_ on you. You've got the most amazing shoulders—this dress is going to make you look sooooo femme fatale that everyone's going to wonder if you've got some sort of weapon on you. Go," shoving the dress into Diana's chest. "Try it on!"

"I don't think it's going to—"

"It's your size!" Diana groaned, her back already turned towards Nami. Nami didn't know her size—how the hell would she know her size?! "Now, go on, fit it before I drag you into the dressing room _and make you_."

It sounded like a threat but it didn't frighten her one bit. Nami, shoving the dress towards her was more annoying than her intention to make it look intimidating.

"Alright!" She surrendered. "Alright, I'll do it. Don't be too pushy." She took the dress from Nami and made her way to the dressing room. Nami, still with that sly smile across her face, followed not far behind.

She went in one of the stalls, shimmied off her clothes and tried the dress on. And once she looked in the mirror, she was right about everything about it.

_The dress was too short on her. It was a tad too sexy on her._

But, she argued, she looked absolutely gorgeous in it.

She honestly felt shy about wearing it even within the confines of the dressing room. _Too much legs_ , she thought. Too much shoulders, she added. Collar bone sticking out…

Why'd it have to make her look soooo… _good?_

It wasn't something she could afford especially since she's shelled out most of her savings for a phone replacement. Diana hovered on the price tag sticking from the side, and even though there was a price slash to it, she still wouldn't be able to buy it with the amount of cash she now had on hand.

She thought about it really hard but decided to put it back, even though it would break her heart. Right now, there's no plausible reason for her to wear this publicly. God forbid she wear this to class and it's not something she'd wear casually either.

There's no way this dress would've been a practical purchase at this time.

But if only there was some reason for her to even consider _buying_ it, she'd do it in a heartbeat. If only she had enough resources, or maybe some nearby formal gathering (a good reason to charge it to her supplementary credit card), she definitely would.

She opened the door to the dressing room. "Well…?" Diana had her eyebrows waiting for Nami's critique. She felt she looked amazing but in the back of her head, everyone might see her as trying too hard.

"So…" She dragged, hanging her hands a few inches away from her waist. "What do you think? I feel it's too—"

"You look fantastic!" Nami, sounding ecstatic as always. "Like, _wow_ Diana. Who knew the nerd in the classroom could also kill it in the ball room?"

"Yeah… But it's a little too much." She reached out for the price tag and turned so Nami could get a good look on it.

"Don't worry Di." She placed hands on Diana's shoulder. "Take it and put it in the basket. I got this, okay? Think of it as a little gift from me."

"Nami, you don—"

"It's bad luck to turn down gifts." She wiggled her index finger a few inches away from Diana's nose. "And I still owe you from your last birthday. Consider this an extremely late birthday present."

Diana paused. She felt like hesitating, she should, right? But she gave in. After all, she did want that dress. "Thanks," she said sincerely.

As they both stood at the counter, Nami handing over the dress, along with a basket full of other clothes, to the cashier and casually chatted her up with whatever was crossing Nami's mind. Diana heard something along the lines of a new Korean boy band gaining popularity, Nami gushing over the break dancer—whoever that was—and the cashier was absolutely going to die for the lead singer.

She handed the shopping bag with the dress over to Diana, and in the most sincere tone, she said, "Feel better, okay?"

Clutching it in her hand a little tighter, Diana couldn't help but crack a small grin from her lips. It was unusual, but she was feeling slightly better—just like Nami said.

After that, Nami's certain she's already found her outfit to wear for tomorrow. Diana couldn't care any less, she was thankful that she's done, her feet already aching and her shoulders already heavy. She's going to finally reunite with her bed, and get that much awaited rest.

The walk back to the dorm was unusually peaceful after that hectic shopping spree. A light breeze swayed through the trees just enough to rustle them lightly. The moon was already out, being cloudless that it was able to provide an uninterrupted light, its radiant glow a good aide to the poorly-lit path they took.

Nami, settling with her many shopping bags, struggling to walk but she insisted she carry all of her stuff and Diana carry hers. Her friend was talking, Diana, on the other hand, was hearing, rather than listening. She hasn't been picking up on anything Nami's said for the past few minutes. Her mind still wavering over the fact that Nami purchased her a dress.

She wasn't ignorant. She was well aware of the fact that Nami wanted her to feel a little better. This whole day was never about Nami even though she said that they went out buy her clothes. But it didn't feel like she was looking for anything in particular.

She could feel it though. Nami's purposely going into clothing shops, taking the most amount of time she could to fit in ridiculous fashion trends, only to get roasted by Diana. It was a routine they usually had, only this time, she could feel that her friend wasn’t doing this because she _needed an opinion_ for the outfit. She was doing this so that Diana could _give her a snarky, critical remark_.

And Nami was right. Her retail therapy on Diana worked, just not in a way that it's supposed to.

Diana was feeling a bit better.

"Do you really want me to go with you?" Diana asked, clutching the strings of her bag tighter. “T—to the party?”

"Of course I do! It's an experience I don't want to miss, even if it's just this one time and it’s going to be more fun if you’re going to be there with me. And of course, I'll be right here with you, in case you want to bail."

"Fine," the answer came as plain as day. Nami stopped in her tracks, not entirely sure if she even heard her right. "I'll go with you."

"Are you sure? Liiike, I totes understand if you don't want to go."

"I need some time off. You'll be there and I'm definitely sure you're going home drunk. Best to keep an eye out on you."

She squealed, then threw herself on Diana to give her a tight hug. "Omigosh! Omigosh Omigosh! We're going to go to a party and you're coming with me! I can't wait!"

"Yes. I'm ecstatic." Another sarcastic reply.

They got to the dorm and parted ways, Nami taking the elevator and Diana, as usual, took the stairs and darted straight to her room.

As for her little walk, she's pretty happy with it, she had a phone. She'll have to activate it, download all her old contacts from her online cloud storage and she's set. It's going to take some time but at least she's got a phone. For now, that's one problem down.

She placed the black dress at the back of her closet—maybe saved for an extremely far distant future when she still _might_ need it.

Now, she's going to have to find something else to wear to tomorrow's drunk fest.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Sleep has been the one thing she's been looking forward to this entire evening and even though she's already shifted from different positions a dozen times, counted more than a hundred sheep and kept her eyes shut for long, Diana's mind was still wide awake, much to her body's protesting through stiff or sore muscles.

She's given up already. Now, she was staring blankly out her window, mesmerized by the stillness of the night washing over the dormitories.

The serenity of the campus tonight was inevitable. Midterms just finished, everyone's drained, stressed-out or exhausted and the only thing that's going to give them another boost of energy is a trip back home. No better cure to months' worth of studying than the joy of returning to a home filled with everything that's been left behind—family, pets, their own beds and, an actual home cooked meal.

Diana did have plans on going home like the rest, pondering on the idea earlier in the week. A time to unwind before the next half of the semester starts. Time away from school, the classes, the professors, anything academic. All she needed was her bed, wrapped in the all too familiar warmth of her comforter, a cup of hot tea an arm's length away, with the low hum of the radiator in the background.

But she didn't.

No way was she walking through the doors of their own home bearing news that she's failed one of her midterm exams _by showing up late_. Or that the class itself required a case study that she wasn't able to submit too, because she _showed up late._

It's not a topic she could easily dance around. And in those two days, she's sure that someone's going to ask how she's been doing—or more importantly, how her grades were doing. And when that happens, she's a hundred percent sure she's going to flinch.

The thought of it made her uneasy. The thought of the consequences made her anxious.

She wasn't going to get a good rest that night, Diana figured. So instead, she slipped out from under her covers and dragged the stool from her study towards the window adjacent to her bed.

The cool, night breeze caressed her cheeks gently once she opened the window. She was leaning on her elbows, which were perched habitually on the same place on wooden window sill—Diana's usual spot to think.

It was always amazing how much the moon always was so beautiful on the darkest of nights. It hung peacefully a stream of silver lay placid on the pavement, its light providing a stronger luminance to the old, worn-out street lamps. It was a serene night apart from a distant bass-riddled song playing. She thought that it's maybe coming from one of the in-campus fraternity houses—notorious for _not taking_ a break from partying. Now from which exact fraternity house, she can't really say.

She thought about the party she was going to attend—jeans and a shirt would be simple, she guessed. Based on the books and the movies, casual wear works fine, it's only those who really want to dress to impress who are actually more conscious about what they were wearing right? And it's not like it's a themed party, or a costume party. She could get dressed in whatever she wanted, get as comfortable as she can because for that whole night, she's sure that she's going to need all the comfort she could get.

And maybe, the night wouldn't end badly. There's going to be some drinks, and the thought of maybe someone familiar, besides Nami, would actually be there talking to her?

_Who the hell was she kidding?_

No, she can't save herself from this. She's dreading to go, even if she tries to somehow look at the brighter side of things. If she could ditch this whole thing, she'd definitely do it in a heartbeat. But she had to, she promised Nami she'd go. Nami's going to get hammered, she's sure of it, and someone's going to have to drag her back to her dorm.

Deep in thought, the sound of her phone surprised her, hitting her knee on the corner of her desk. Its 2 A.M, who the hell was awake at this hour?

She scrambled towards her bed, ignoring her aching knee while feeling up her phone somewhere lost between the creases of her blanket. After at least 4 rings, she counted, she found it, almost toppling it over the edge but she was able to grab it in the nick of time to answer it.

"Diana." Right. Of course, nobody else would call at this time of night.

"Hello mom," She answered, a tinge of annoyance in her tone.

"Diana, why are you up so late?" Well, _she_ was also up late—what an unnecessary observation. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Her brows furrowed at the thought of it. "You're the one th—"

"Your father and I have been trying to call you all day and this is the only time you've turned on your phone?"  Her mother asked, maintaining her usual monotony. "What's happening to you over there?"

"N-No, nothing's wrong with me. I'm fine, really. Perfectly fine!" She needed to think of something clever. There's no way she's going to wring out a long, dragged out sermon on Diana's sense of responsibility over a lost phone. "I misplaced my phone, it fell in the side of the mattress and I only had the chance to look for it when I came back. I had school work to finish and some articles to compile."

"Did you not charge it?" She did! Well, when she had it. Heaven knows where that phone was currently. "I would've still been able to reach you if you did."

"No." She sounded convincing. "It ran out of batt. I'm sorry."

"What did I tell you about your phone Diana? Keep it with you at all times and make sure you've got it charged. In emergency cases, you'll be unreachable—that isn't a good trait if you want to be like your father and I."

"It's just this one time that I let it slip. I promise, it won't happen again."

"You could've at least called once you've found it, you know. We were worried about you. What if you've been kidnapped?"

 _But I don't want to talk to you._ She bit her tongue. "…yes mom. Sorry about that," she answered in almost a whisper. Ugh, the feeling of guilt washed over her and she didn't like it one bit.

"Anyway, how have you been doing? Your midterms are over, right? Have you passed all your exams?"

"They don't grade midterms within the week of the exams, mom," she explained, her fingernails already drawing deep marks on her palms. "I'll know my results once they've given me back the paper, or post it. I promise to tell you as soon as I know."

"I'm expecting nothing less than a 4.0," she added.

It was one of those lines that drove Diana both forward and to the edge. She thought that maybe she'll get used to it—in a few more years perhaps.

"Of course. I guarantee a 4.0." She said it perfectly this time, something in her stirred, but she fought it, no way she's going to let this stress her out. "Nothing less than it, right?"

"That's my girl." Diana sat up, patting herself at the back. The feeling of praise felt foreign to her, and frankly, it felt nice. "Your grades aside, are you not coming home for the weekend?"

The weekend. _Right_. Her eyes grew large and her mouth a little agape. She won't go home. Not now. No way.

"I can't, I'm afraid I can't. No. Nope, I won't go home. Not this weekend." Crap. She said no too many times in different variations, now she's hoping that her mother doesn't take it the wrong way. What if she thought that she didn't want to go home? Even if she wanted to, she can't, not when she hasn't dealt with the looming idea of failure in one of her classes.

"Oh?" Her mother sounded surprised. "That's new."

She's going to have to lie. Her palms were starting to sweat and her eyes were darting to every part of her room, trying to pick up something to give her an idea of an excuse to get out of going home. "I'm helping a professor…" she trailed, it's a good thing to help a professor out right? And her mother wouldn't have to scrutinize and criticize her for not going home since it's for an academic purpose. "As a student researcher…" Yup, totally an academic purpose. "For one of my classes."

"Really?" Crap, she had to sound so unsure of it. Now, her mother's picked up on her uncertainty. "You don't sound convinced enough."

"Y-Yes!" She stammered. Shoot, she's not supposed to stammer either, her mother was no idiot and pairing that up with _mother's instinct_ , she's sure that her mom's going to figure out that somethings wrong. "It's still in process, but I'm already advancing some articles. I'll be working on the paperwork during the weekends."

"Okay, Diana." Her mother sounded skeptical. "I wish you all the luck. Good night."

"Good night."

Never in her life had she thought that she would feel relieved at the end of the call. She pressed the end button on the touch screen and let the phone down gently on her lap.

 _Suck it up_ , she told herself. She didn't have any plans on socializing during the party but now, she'll have to get it together and _meet people_. She'll have to find those students at the party and try to get herself an appointment with Dr. Sol.

* * *

It was a good thing she didn't have anything planned the next day. She was able to go right to sleep after that unexpected phone call with her mother. Although it was definitely at a time later than her usual sleeping hour, the fact that she didn't have to wake up to do anything in particular gave her enough time to catch up a good amount of z's.

It was already past noon when she woke up. Well, maybe a little later than noon. Her roommate's bed was empty but disheveled–she probably was still around somewhere not here. The thought of having the room to herself made her giddy. No one to pester her around while she stays indoors.

She'll do some advance readings while waiting for the party–she's had her heart set on it. It'll take her mind off the party and it'll probably calm her down a bit. She's definitely going to get started once she's showered.

And of course, she's going to need a cup of coffee to go with that. So before anything else, she took a walk towards the University Café.

When she arrived, the coffee shop was bare, missing the usual group of students at this time. There was one group seated outside with their iced coffees, each one sporting their own brand of cigarettes. But other than them, there was no one else within the area.

The campus felt so deserted without its usual crowd.

Diana could definitely get used to this.

She pushed the door to the café–the heavy door creaked and the café door bell rung. She's only taken a few steps into the shop when the barista popped from behind the counter and made eye contact with her.

"Two large brewed? To-go?" Leona asked, taking of her earphones and tucking her pen behind her ear. She adjusted her ponytail, hovering over the counter before flashing Diana with her own friendly smile.

Diana face's scrunched up at her question. The idea that Leona assumed that she was getting two cups of brewed coffee sounded so insulting.

"Two cups of coffee?" A tone of disdain evident in her voice. "I haven't even ordered yet and you assumed I'm buying two? Where in the world did you get that?"

"Two large coffees, to-go. You always order that every weekend and well, it's the weekend." She sounded confident, Diana thought.

She always sounded too confident. She was always too bright.

"One cup's fine," she thought of getting two, not this time though since Leona pointed it out.

Leona shrugged her shoulders. "Okay. That'll be 2.45."

She fumbled for her wallet somewhere underneath everything she's got stowed away in her bag–she took a mental note to clean out her bag later. Once she got a hold of her wallet, she opened it, only to reveal a thick stack of receipts haphazardly shoved into her wallet–no sign of cash.

_God damn it._

She's forgotten that she's penniless right now. The phone purchase and her lunch yesterday left her without a single note in her wallet.

"You mind if I card this?" She asked, looking for her credit card amongst the other accumulated cards she has in her wallet like ID's, reward cards, a 5-year old arcade card and one stray hotel key card.

"Oh, sorry," Leona shook her head in reply. "Our terminal's down right now."

"Crap," she murmured to herself, but loud enough for Leona to hear. It felt like she was still stuck in a rut, one horrible thing after another and everything was already piling up at her feet. And now, it's gotten so bad that she couldn't even remember that she had absolutely no cash right now to purchase herself a cup of coffee. " _Fantastic._ No cash and no coffee. This is great. This is all just _great_."

It's like she's done something so devious in her past that she's being punished for it now. Her shoulders were aching, her mind's still in a daze and even though she's been fighting of the thoughts of her mishaps from even ruining a good evening, little events like these have been popping out of nowhere. She felt like she was already at the brink of insanity and nobody's giving her a break.

She's down on her luck, and she'll just have to deal with the weird coffee they serve in at the student hall. She stood there, about to ask Leona to just cancel her order. "Can you ju–"

"You know," Leona interrupted her. "You seem like you haven't been having a great week. So here," she punched a few buttons on the cash register, waited for it to print and pocketed the receipt. "This one's on me."

Diana's faced dropped. "Are you …serious?" She didn't want to impose. Well, it didn't seem right.

She didn't particularly like Leona but she didn't want her to get in trouble with the café's management. Was she going to do those things where the cashiers does something with the receipt? Nope, she didn't want to be any part of this–that's felony right? _Oh god_ , the thought of her being the reason Leona's going to lose her job at this place was worrying.

"Yeah. Sure, why not?" She answered without any sort of hesitation, it even felt like's she knew what she was doing and that she's done this before. She didn't seem troubled at this, at all?

Diana paused for a bit, trying to find the right words to say, or to ask, without meaning to offend. "This is not going to get you fired?" Diana asked, still unsure of herself. "Right?"

"What are you talking about?" A short giggle escaped Leona's lips, making Diana feel like a fool. "I'm not going to get fired. Trust me."

"Well, this doesn't sit well with me," She was still worried. Or scared. "This feels like a felony."

"Oh c'mon, that's crazy. This isn't stealing, I swear. Plus, I've already punched it in. I'll be in more trouble if I try to get this transaction reversed."

"Okay…" She might as well accept it, this wasn't her problem if she got caught–Leona said it wasn't a problem so might as well trust what she says. And she wasn't really one who could say no to a free cup of coffee. She was thankful. Shocked, but thankful nonetheless. "I owe you."

"Don't mention it." Leona gestured her over to wait at the other side of the counter. Diana walked over to it, leaning slightly on the marble counter top.

She waited in silence, observing Leona as she fired up the coffee grinder–the aroma of freshly ground coffee beans filled the air and Diana couldn't help but take a full breath of it. It reminded her so much of home, specifically at 5 AM with that sound piercing through the silence at dawn, followed by the most delectable smell of coffee.

After a few more minutes, Leona poured her order into a large coffee cup, just enough to fill it a few millimeters short of the brim. Then she placed the lid on it, put a sleeve on it and handed it over to Diana.

"You're too nice," she said sincerely, taking the cup from Leona, their fingers unintentionally brushing slightly on the side.

"I try," Leona answered, before letting go of the cup slowly. "Take care, Diana."

"You too. Have a great day, Leo…" her eyes trailed towards the name tag that clumsily hung on her brown apron. "…na."

They exchanged smiles at each other before simultaneous turning their back to one another, Leona plugging one of her earbuds back into her ear and Diana walking towards the café doors.

Coffee cup in hand, she left the café with her mood a little lighter.

* * *

"Diaaaanaaaa!!!!"

She sat up from her chair shocked, sending the pen she held flying towards the wall.

_Twice in one week. Twice she bangs that damn door. Does she not know what knocking is?_

"Nami," she said, rubbing her eyes from under her glasses, barely making out any words. "You're adorable and a good friend. But that doesn't give you the right to barge into anyone's room unannounced, _yelling_."

"I've texted you four times in the past hour. Called you five times and you don't even answer!" she scurried over to her friend, Diana still not moving from her chair looking irritable. She took a quick look on her phone, pressing the unlock button on the side to see Nami's missed calls.

_Oops._

"We're supposed to be leaving in fifteen minutes, Diana!"

"Fifteen minutes?" She checked the time, it was 9 P.M. Four hours have gone by since she started reading next week's lesson plan.

Before standing up, she reached for her coffee cup at her desk. She peeked into it, looking so dismayed that there it was empty.

"You went to _the U-caf_ without inviting me? Is this why you haven't been answering my calls and text?" Nami crossed her arms. "Is there something you're hiding from me?" She had her left hand covering her mouth, with her eyes wide. "Are you seeing someone?" She whispered in a very mischievous tone.

"Nami!" Diana yelled angrily, Nami definitely knew how to push her buttons and right now, she wasn't going to let her get away with all this uncomfortable teasing. She tried to reach for her to pinch her but her friend was able to take a small jump backwards slightly out of her reach, laughing on how aggravated Diana was.

"I _wasn't_ with anyone," she clarified, still pissed at Nami even suggesting that she's was seeing someone. "I didn't want to stay long," Diana explained. "I only needed a cup of coffee then come back here to study. I _wasn't_ with anyone." And in her mind, she needed a lot more than just a cup. Leona was right, she should've gotten two.

"Didn't you even think that maybe I needed a cup of coffee too?" Nami asked, still flushed from her laughing spree.

"And a slice of whatever it is you're craving. Or a free sample of whatever artisan thing they have written on the black board outside. Probably some water too. And maybe some idle chit chat with whoever's sitting in the next table or the table at the other side of the room," Diana continued, standing up from her chair and made her way to her closet. "It'll take hours before we come back. I only needed coffee, I'm comfy studying in the confines of my dorm. Bringing you there means I'll have to stay there for long."

"Well… hanging out is fun, right? Plus, you could study there instead of this stuffy ol' room… with me." Diana internally laughed at how ridiculous this idea was. In fact, she would barely get any studying done with Nami around. "C'mon Diana, you think they'll put tables and chairs in the _caf_ if they didn't want people to hang out there? It's a go to place."

"But _my room_ is my _go to place_." She pulled the first two garments she had piled in her closet–an off-shoulder, royal blue faded shirt and some leggings. "There's no distraction, everything I need is here and there's no need to lug my stuff around."

Her outfit choice caught Nami's attention. "Wait, that's all you're wearing? You look like you're going to class." Diana shrugged.  "You're not going to wear the dress? You know, like sexy, alluring, femme fatale?"

Diana did a quick scan of Nami's outfit. "Says the one who's only wearing shorts and a silk blouse." She raised an eyebrow, something about Nami's outfit wasn't sitting right with her. "I don't remember you buying any of those yesterday."

"I didn't," she answered. "Well, except for my underwear! These are so cute and sooo comfy. Best. Investment. Ever."

"Nam–"

"This outfit felt appropriate on me today and it goes pretty well with my hair! Look." She did a little twirl which Diana witnessed from the corner of her eye. She was still arranging some of shirts she messed up when pulling her outfit out of her closet. "See? Looking fabulous but still sporting the out-of-bed messy locks look, right?" Nami asked, not knowing that Diana was already at the door. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Going to go change," to which Nami threw her a questioning look. "In the shower room?"

"Don't be silly, just change here!" Diana gave her a glare, still appalled that Nami would even consider suggesting that. "What? It's not like we've have anything that's worth concealing, unless like, you've got something to hide under that."

"I'm _still_ changing in the shower," she had her hand on the door knob, before she shut it, she instructed to Nami to wait for her here. She promised that she's going to change fast..

It didn't take her long to get to the shower rooms but she definitely took her time getting there.

She walked into the nearest open shower, slinging her garments onto the doors while she changed.

As she she was changing, she heard the sound of the shower turning off in the stall next to her, followed by foots steps and a loud _thud_ on the bathroom counter.

She was already dressed up, if she moved quickly, she'd have to avoid any contact with whoever that was. She took her clothes and slung it over her shoulder. She open the stall door with her glance directed at the floor.

"Heyo!" She closed her eyes, her grip on her clothes a little tighter as she registered that familiar voice. She looked up to see her roommate, all freshened up with a towel wrapped around her. Diana did a small wave, then took a step in the direction of the exit.

"Guess you're not taking time off to see your ‘rents right? Is this really a thing with you smart people? Like, not going home to do school stuffs?"

That was such an off question. Diana shrugged, to some extent, her roommate was right. She did have some academic matters to settle. It was a reason not to go home after midterm week.

"Crazy man, how you guys are. Well, nothing beats good ol' dedication. Getting your head in the game so you'd come in first," she took the towel wrapped around her to dry her hair. Diana turned her back, a slight blush crawling up on her cheeks.

_What is it with people and nudity?_

"I-I've got somewhere to go," she said and quickly walked towards the door. She had to get out of there as fast as she could. "See you around," she mumbled, not even sure if her roommate ever heard her.

She walked back as fast as she could back to her dorm room. She opened the door to see Nami seated at the edge of her bed with her phone in hand. Walking over to her hamper and dumping her used clothes into it, she took her bag placed on her table and darted towards her door.

"So, you ready to go?" Nami asked, without even glancing up. 

"Yup," was all she said she walked through the doors first. Nami shot up from the bed, shoving her phone into her small handbag before following Diana hastily out the door.


End file.
